San Francisco diners, put your clothes on

Dining sans garments in San Francisco got booted from the “obscure privileges we enjoy here that are rare elsewhere in the world” list this week after a vote by the city council.

But never fear, exhibitionists. You can still walk around naked on city streets. But you have to put some kind of clothing between your bare behind and the seat of any public chair you want to sit down on, be it a bench or a bus stop. (Sidebar: Wouldn’t you want to anyway? Even just for the germ repellant factor? Plus, concrete can be darn cold.)

This issue is mostly relevant in the Castro, of course, where Buff Stop is a popular nudist hangout.

When we went to school across the Bay, the famous Berkeley Naked Guy was frequently spotted on campus, wearing his backpack, hanging out. After a while you didn’t even notice him anymore. (Berkeley has since banned public nudity completely on city streets.)

But if a diner at the next table is taking on a whole new meaning to “al fresco,” we’d argue that it’s a distraction to other diners, unless there’s some strategic napkin placement going on. And it’s a public health issue, which is why supervisor Scott Wiener proposed the new ban in the first place. Wiener represents the Castro, so this decision may cost him a few votes there.

We’d certainly like to see a list of SF restaurants that were ideal for dining while naked. What sort of ambiance is best?

There certainly are some activities that are more logical to do without clothes, like sunbathing on the beach or in the privacy or your own backyard, than eating out, grocery shopping or going to the gym. This ordinance seems like it will protect the delicate sensibilities of those of us who prefer to dine out with our clothes on.